India orders Globemaster,dumps A330

[Abhi 3]

LONG BEACH, Calif., Jan. 8, 2010 — The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] announced today that the U.S. government has received a Letter of Request from India’s Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the Indian Air Force regarding the potential acquisition of 10 C-17 Globemaster III advanced airlifters.

“Boeing is very pleased that the Indian government has expressed interest in acquiring the C-17 to modernize its airlift capabilities, and we look forward to working closely with them,” said Vivek Lall, vice president and India country head, Boeing Defense, Space & Security. “We believe the C-17 can fulfill India’s needs for military and humanitarian airlift to help it meet its growing domestic and international responsibilities.”

 

The C-17 conducted demonstration flights in February at Aero India 2009 in Bangalore, where members of the MOD and Indian Air Force had the opportunity to see the aircraft’s capabilities in action. The Indian Air Force wants to replace and augment its fleet of Russian-made AN-32 and IL-76 airlifters.

 

 

“Nations looking to modernize their airlift capabilities turn to the C-17 because it has the highest reliability and mission-capable rate of any airlift aircraft,” added Tommy Dunehew, Boeing Global Mobility Systems vice president of Business Development. “It is available right now, without any development risk. Plus, the C-17 is an acquisition success story, with deliveries on or ahead of schedule for the past decade.”

 

A tactical and strategic airlifter, only the C-17 can carry large combat equipment and troops or humanitarian aid across international distances and deliver them directly to small austere airfields anywhere in the world. It can land combat-ready troops on semi-prepared runways or airdrop them directly into the fight. The C-17’s ability to back up allows it to operate on narrow taxiways and congested ramps. With a payload of up to 170,000 pounds, the C-17 can take off and land in 3,000 feet or less.

 

There are currently 212 C-17s in service worldwide, including 19 with international customers. The U.S. Air Force, including active Guard and Reserve units, has 193. Other customers include the United Kingdom (which recently announced a contract for a seventh airlifter), Qatar, the Canadian Forces, the Royal Australian Air Force, and the 12-member Strategic Airlift Capability initiative of NATO and Partnership for Peace nations. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Air Force and Air Defence announced Jan. 6 that the UAE has signed a contract for the acquisition of six Boeing C-17s.

From aviationnews.eu

 

 

surely this news will get the airbus guys fuming.

 

it is strange that A330 order was cancelled due to overpricing and now the govt is buying a aircraft each valed at 220 million dollars.

[FastCargo 412]

Well, the A330 and the C-17 are totally different aircraft. There are things the C-17 can do that the A330 cannot do...period.

 

About the only thing a A330 can do that a C-17 cannot physically do is be an airborne tanker...and even that's a maybe.

 

FC

Edited January 9, 2010 by FastCargo

[DWCAce 19]

I would think for an airlift a/c you're want something that you could load with minimal equipment. With the C-17, you've got drive up service, whereas the A-330 requires pallet loaders and other equipment.

[Abhi 3]

hey i know the difference.i just want to show the american influence as cited by the media.the govt is buying a c-17 for a price in which we can by 4 il-76's and they say that the a330 is overpriced.

 

 

 

 

[FastCargo 412]

Well, as with anything else, there is more to the story.

 

First, the IL-76 is a smaller cross section aircraft, similiar in size to the old C-141. The C-17 is far wider, capable of carrying outsized cargo and vehicles (cross section rivals that of the C-5). In addition, terms of gross tonnage, the C-17 can carry approximately 1/3 more troops, and almost double the weight.

 

Plus, the IAF has had a hard time maintaining their fleet of IL-76s due to lack of a unified spares distribution channel.

 

The biggest thing I noticed after doing some research is that there simply isn't any military type airlifter available on the market that matches the C-17 in terms of overall cargo size. All the other 'Super Heavy' lifters are out of production (C-5, An-124). A proposal to restart the An-124 production line would result in an aircraft that has more lifting capability, but would also run about 200 million dollars each and would require 50 BILLION dollars to restart production.

 

The A330 is simply not the same class of aircraft. It really is apples and oranges.

 

FC

[Abhi 3]

Thnx FC.

[JediMaster 451]

I guess they're going to stick with the A model. I've heard rumbling about an updated C-17B with extra gear bogies in the center and enhanced short/rough field performance, along with the obligatory avionics/cockpit updates. An order for 10 planes would theoretically be enough to start such a program, but this doesn't mention it.

[Abhi 3]

i guess the IAF guys are ordering them to rapidly deploy troops and equipment near the Chinese border as the infrastructure is not very great.

[+Gepard 11,303]

Its a letter of request, not an order. Its not sure that the C-17 will fly in indian colors.

[Abhi 3]

yes thats also true.

[+ghostrider883 526]

The A330 MRTT was supposed to be selected as IAF's next mid-air refueller. The A330 was competing with the IL-78 and not with C-17. The C-17 is meant to supplement/replace IAF's ageing IL-76 fleet.

[FastCargo 412]

The A330 MRTT was supposed to be selected as IAF's next mid-air refueller. The A330 was competing with the IL-78 and not with C-17. The C-17 is meant to supplement/replace IAF's ageing IL-76 fleet.

 

See, that makes much more sense.

 

FC

[Abhi 3]

i know that they fall in different class,only question was why buy an a/c thats very costs so much when you have option of cheap il-76.but now i got the answer.

 

the main problem at ca is we cant delete posts which have been answered.